Notre Dame football: Perspective a 'must' accessory for Blue-Gold Game

April 20, 2012|Al Lesar | Commentary

SOUTH BENDHere are some tips on what to watch for at the Notre Dame football team’s Blue-Gold Game Saturday.- Before leaving the tailgate, remember Junior Jabbie.Irish lore is littered with anonymous players who — like the Charlie Weis Era running back — had a marvelous spring game and were never heard from again.Take everything that happens with a grain — make that a heaping teaspoon — of salt.- Keep an open mind about the quarterback derby.According to Irish coach Brian Kelly, Tommy Rees is going to take the first snap under center.Caution: Don’t read anything into that. Last season, Rees had 13 games — give or take the first half of the first one and various parts of the last two — to win the job. That there has been a derby this spring means the Notre Dame braintrust isn’t convinced he’s the answer.One relatively uneducated opinion formulated by glimpses of actual practice time, memories of interceptions gone by, and mostly gut feeling: 1. Andrew Hendrix; 2. Gunner Kiel; 3. Rees; 4. Everett Golson.Be patient. That prediction/opinion/shot in the dark won’t be officially confirmed or contradicted until sometime in August.- Don’t scrutinize the receivers too closely. It might be scary.- Turn a sharp, discriminating eye toward the cornerbacks.When pass-rush missile extraordinaire Aaron Lynch went south — literally — the pressure was dialed up on Notre Dame’s young corners.Without Lynch on the field, opposing quarterbacks gained at least a half-second to find an open receiver. Lynch’s bull rush could get in a QB’s head. Even if Lynch wasn’t coming, the quarterback didn’t know that for sure.Lynch’s presence brought a sense of urgency.Oh well, next man in, right?No matter the next man, there’s a reason why Lynch seemed to be a lock as a first-round NFL draft pick in a couple years. Guys like that are special.Without that help, the challenge facing Notre Dame’s cornerbacks has been escalated.“From a defensive standpoint, it has been about the corners,” said Kelly.“People have talked a lot about ‘How are you going to replace (Robert Blanton and Gary Gray), and then (safety) Harrison Smith?’“I’m really pleased with the three-man rotation (at safety) with Jamoris Slaughter, Zeke (Motta) and Austin (Collinsworth). We can go play right now and feel real good at that.”Kelly didn’t go so far with the cornerback situation. Heck, he didn’t even go in the near vicinity.Bennett Jackson, who will be a junior in the fall, spent his first year as a special teams guy and quasi-receiver.His speed and ability to make a tackle on kickoff and punt returns convinced the Irish coaches to move him to cornerback last year. Between special teams and, late in the season, a spot in the cornerback rotation, Jackson compiled 18 tackles. He’s still waiting to break up his first pass.Opposite Jackson, who seems to be entrenched as a starter, almost by default, is a battle between junior-to-be Lo Wood and impending sophomore Josh Atkinson.Notre Dame’s media guide from the Champs Sports Bowl said that Wood piled up six tackles and an interception that he turned into a 57-yard touchdown against Maryland last season. It also said that Wood didn’t play against Wake Forest and USC.Not so. Maybe it was just a case of selective amnesia.Who doesn’t recall that fateful play against the Trojans? Ball on the Irish 3-yard line, late in the first quarter. Southern Cal receiver Robert Woods had to be drooling. He stepped to the line and saw that the only thing between him and six points was Lo Wood. Woods and Matt Barkley made it look easy. Touchdown.“It’s still a battle between Lo Wood and Josh Atkinson,” Kelly said. “Bennett has done a great job.”Toss sophomores-to-be running back-turned-corner Cam McDaniel and Jalen Brown into the competition, and there will be plenty of reasons to keep track of how many passes land safely into offensive hands Saturday.- And, oh yeah, wear a jacket. It’s always chilly for the spring game.Staff writer Al Lesar: alesar@sbtinfo.com574-235-6318